Final Fantasy VII:The Final Conflict
by Kal
Summary: New dangers arise after the defeat of Sephiroth. The General assembles a new army, while Joshua spreads the word of the Mother. Oh, and Sephiroth and Aeris, return. Sort of.
1. Prologue and Chapters 1-2

# 

Prologue

  
  
T minus six days until Meteor strikes.  
Outskirts of Midgar  
A thunderous blast could be heard for miles.In the middle of the battle, an Ultima spell roared,consuming all around it,except for the caster,a young blond man with a huge sword.The inmense beast was hurt,but it was nothing considering its size.Too big it could block the sun,it´s skin shinning as diamonds,and as hard as them.The Weapon was about to blast them to oblivion,when it heard the voice of the Planet,warning they were not the enemy.The Weapon turned and saw the source of the Planet´s pain, the huge city know as midgar.Slowly turning around,it went against the new menace.  
"What´s happenning?." a young woman with brown hair asked.  
"It senses murder." the blond man said.  
"To my ship!." shouted a man dressed as a pilot.  
They boarded the airship,and while observing the Weapon,they could see it was charging a devastating attack.But at Midgar,a giant cannon was being charged,ready to destroy the Weapon and Sephiroth,the culprit of this madness.As they both finished charging the energy,they unleasheaded it and both connected.  
The Weapon falled into the ground,with a huge hole in it´s chest.But it had unleashed it´s attack succesfully,so it wasn´t defeated.As the Weapon fell,the airship leaved to the north.  
"Sir,the bird has left the nest." A soldier said.It had been observing the recent events from a nearby hill and was speaking to a radio.  
"Excellent!.Proceed with operation "Diamond burglar"." the radio crakled. Out of nowhere,giant helicopters appeared,and inside of them,soldiers with a single objective.As the helicopters delivered them,they were securing the body of the massive monster,hooking it to the choppers,and with a sign,they left,carrying with them the Weapon and going without a trace.  
  
20 hours after Meteor strike.  
Midgar slums.  
The young man was happy.Not because the Meteor strike had destroyed the upper plates of Midgar,killing thousands who didn´t get to the slums on time,or because the survivors were broken,if not in body,in spirit.He was happy because this represented an opportunity.He now would make his dreams true and this was the right time and the right moment to execute his plans.As he walked trough the devatated slums,the people looked at him.Wearing a white as snow tunic,sandals and with a handsome face with long dark hair,he was quite a sight in the middle of the devastation.He irradiated an aura of confidence and power.A nearby man was in the floor,with both legs broken and his face was completely desfigurated,begging for someone to end his pain.The young man got close to him,and put his hands over the man.A wave of energy runned from the young man to the injured one.In moments,the man had ceased to yell,and was standing on his feet,his restaured face turned to the young man.A puzzled look on his eyes,he talked.  
"Who are you?."  
"My name is Joshua Garelk and I´m your savior."  
"How do you do that?." asked someone from the group of people that was forming around them,attracted by the miracleously recovery of the man.  
"Does it matter?.The important thing is that I can help your injured, your homeless,your families.I have the power to do it as you have seen. The only thing I´m asking in return is you follow me,and together we will make our dreams come true,this place will be a paradise on earth and all you have to do is follow me."  
"I´m with you,bro!." a man from the now giant multitude said.Many other joined him,the questions of the more prudent silenced by the sounds of the people attracted by the savior,their hero.Joshua smiled.Everything was going to work.  
  
2 days after Meteor incident.  
Kalm town.  
"Medic!." Tifa shouted.Suddenly,the young man she was taking care of had started having convulsions.The man,in his mid-twenties,brown hair and somewhat short,had been in the care center for the Meteor victims after being unburied from beneath a building.He was in bad shape,his left leg broken,a injury on his head running from his right temple to behind his head.The paramedics that brought him said he may had internal injuries and he wouldn´t survive.Tifa had been at his side from that moment,since the others went to help at Midgar.Due to the inmense catasthrophe,there were many victims,and not enogh people to help them. At the moment she had lost hopes of anyone showing up to help the young man,Joshua appeared.  
"What´s the problem?." he asked.  
"He´s having convulsions and I don´t know what to do."  
"Let me give it a try."  
The power emanated from his hands,slowly covering the man and stopping his convulsions,and healing the injuries.Tifa was marveled at this,seeing how the man had beginning to breathe more slowly, and how he was beginning to awake.She then saw how a flow of people had begun to fill the center of the town.She turned to thank Joshua,and saw him going to the director of the victims center.She could hear them talking,and she saw among the people many familiar faces,people from the slums,who had been given for death.She heard Joshua offering their help to the director,and he,grateful,told the multitude what to do.The people began to disperse,ready to do as they were told.Tifa then saw Joshua was going outside the town and followed him.  
As Joshua was going away,Tifa reached him.  
"Hey,wait!."  
"What can I do for you?." Joshua said,smiling and showing a perfect smile.  
"I want to thank you for helping that man over there.It was impressive.Did you used materia?."  
"Something like that." Joshua said,dodging the question.  
"Why are you going?.We could use your help back there you now."  
"There´s still many people in Midgar who need me,and could not be able to get here on time.I´m going to help them.This people you saw were as bad,if not worse than that man,I healed them and brought them here to help."  
"Well,I think you should wait.My friends will be here in an hour and could take you there in the Highwind."  
"Thanks for the offer,but I have my own mediums.Goodbye."  
"Well,then see you later." Tifa said.  
She began to walk towards Kalm,and turned her head to see the young man again.She then saw that he was nowhere to be found.She searched for him briefly with a look,but then an old woman called her to go back to the medic center,wondering what happened to the young man.  
  
At the Highwind.  
Somewhere between Midgar and Kalm.  
Cloud was at the bridge,seeing through the cockpit´s window.The recent events were still very fresh in his memory,and because they had to help the Meteor victims,he and the others didn´t had time to think about their battle against Sephiroth.Cloud remembered his final battle against Sephiroth. It was just the two of them,without materia,without armor,just they,their swords and their fury. Although it had happened inside his mind,it had felt so real.He hadn´t told anyone about this,except for Tifa.Even after revenging himself,his mother,his friends and stopped Meteor,something was still bothering him.  
_He was too weak._  
He tough Sephiroth was stronger.Although no living being could withstand his Omnislash limit,he tough it would had taken a lot more than his fury to take him down.And he couldn´t forget the look in his icy blue mako eyes.It was a look of sorrow,as he felt...sorry?.How it was possible that after all the horrors he had commited,he still could feel bad about them?.As his conscience, after having slept for years,had finally awakened and made him realize all the horrors he had done.Lost in his thoughts,he couldn´t see Red XIII aproaching him.  
"It´s beautiful,isn´t it?."  
"Huh? what?."  
"All.The sky,the plains,the sea,the mountains.It doesn´t seem as Meteor almost crashed on the Planet."  
"Yes,you´re right.I think Aeris was thinking about it all when she sacrificed herself to save the Planet.She must have thought her life was a small price to pay to save all of this."  
"Indeed.The recent events had made me see how valuable life is.Maybe I should think more about my influence in the world and how may I can do it a better place.Grandpa told me once that to change the world,first I had to change myself.I think he wanted me to go outside the canyon so I could change and become a better person."  
"That´s good to hear Red."  
"Nanaki,my name is Nanaki,have you forgot?."  
"Sorry,I just have grew accustomed to call you Red.But tell me one thing,how are you going to tell the people at the canyon Bugenhagen died?."  
"What!?.Did you knew?." asked a very surprised Nanaki.  
"Did you really though we believed Bugenhagen had gone in a travel?.We knew you didn´t wanted to make the people at the canyon be sad,since they had to worry about the Meteor.But now,what are you going to do?." Cloud said,waiting for Nanaki´s answer.Nanaki was very worried.He hadn´t though about it.What would the people think of him when they discovered he had lied to them?.It had been for a good cause,but still,a lie was a lie.  
"I tell them the truth.I´ll explain them my motives to do it and they will understand it.I still think it was for the better." Nanaki said.  
"Well,I hope they understand.They loved Bugenhagen,and altough they will be hurt because of his dead,they will understand it was for their own good."  
In that moment,Barret got into the cockpit and saw Cloud and Red talking,and Cid piloting.Vincent was in his usual corner,watching everything and everybody.Barret then got close to Cid.  
"Wassup?."  
"I think we should reach Kalm in another fifteen minutes or so,if the wind doesn´t changes.How´s everybody at the cargo area?."  
"The doctors said the most ill will survive until we reach the help center.But some of them look very weak,I dunno if they will pass after dis night."  
"Humpff!.This is Sephiroth´s fault.I´m glad that psycho is now dead."  
"What´re you going to do from now on,foo?."  
"Dunno.Maybe I will start working on a new rocket,or make a new plane."  
"What ´bout Shera?."  
"I´ve already apologized for all those years I treated her bad.Isn´t that enough?."  
"I though yo foo were going to propose to her."  
"HA!.Of course not,I´m not crazy."  
"I´ll not said so."  
"And what´re you going to do?."  
"I´m going back to Corel.I´ll help put the town back on it´s feet."  
"That´s good.Those poor fellas have suffered enough already.You know Barret,I have a question."  
"Shoot."  
"How did you,well,you know,proposed to your wife?." Cid had lowered his voice until it was only a whisper.Barret then grinned and saw Cid embarrased.That guy isn´t very bright at doing casual questions, Barret though.  
"Why,are you going to propose to Shera?." Barret said with a big smile.  
"Of course not!.Heck,can´t I do a little question about your past?." Cid said,trying to hide the obvious.  
At that moment,Kalm appeared over the horizont,making Cid cut his talk with Barret and focusing on landing the ship.It was more difficult now that it was like a plane,but Cid wasn´t the best pilot for nothing.It landed smoothly outside the town.At the moment,the people that had accompannied Joshua helped with the victims.Cloud and the others were surprised,they didn´t had seen that people when they left.Cloud then saw Tifa waving at them,and ran to her encounter.  
"Tifa,where do this people come from?."  
"They were brought here by a strange guy.He healed a guy with some kind of power,and when he left,he dissapeared in the thin air."  
"I had heard rumors of some kind of prophet among the people at Midgar.Could it be this guy?."  
"I don´t know.But I´m sure we will meet him again."  
"Let´s help the others and tell them what has happened."  
  
At Midgar  
That night  
Reeve was very tired.Coordinating the efforts of the rescue teams was no easy task,but someone had to do it.That day´s work had finished to him,and now he could turn to other business.He sat in a rock,took out his laptop,and started to look to some files he had managed to rescue from the Shinra building.He was intrigued by the dissapearance of all the SOLDIERS and regular forces of Shinra.Where would they be?.They were almost 1500 SOLDIERS,5000 officials,50000 infantery corps,3000 pilots and 5000 navy marines.They just couldn´t dissapear suddenly,they should be somewhere.Reeve began to search through a list of Shinra´s secret bases,thinking they had hide from the Meteor there.The word "Access denied" appeared on the screen. It was protected by a password,and the only two people who knew it were dead.But he wouldn´t give up. He though he knew the guy who designed the system,and would eventually find a backdoor.He turned his attention to more inmediate affairs.Thanks to a quick response,almost everybody had been saved, except for the ones who stayed in the plates and were crushed by the pressure of the energies the Meteor unleashed.He lifted his head towards before were the plates and saw the starry sky,and wondered what the future would hold for all of them.  
  


* * *

  
  


## Chapter One

### The stage is set

Vincent opened his eyes and got up the bed.He was at one of the rooms of the Shinra Mansion,having moved there shortly after the fight with Sephiroth.After being inside a coffin in a wet basement for twenty years,he didn´t mind sleeping at a normal bed.He dressed and headed to the street.Today he and Cloud were going to have a business meeting with someone who wanted to hire them,and in the letter he sent it said he wanted to talk to them about the job in person.Since Cloud was without a job after the battle at the Northern Crater,he decided to be a mercenary again,and the job just came to him,maybe because defeating Sephiroth and saving the world was a good proof enough to anyone that he was the best at what he does.In ocassions,Vincent would go with him,not only to gain a little money,but also to have the excitement that he wouldn´t have any other way.He headed to the inn,now "Tifa´s Heaven on Earth" where you could have a good beer and an excellent dinner for just 200 gil.He opened the door and entered.  
"Good morning.Is Cloud here yet?"  
"Good morning Vincent.He must be training at the forest as usual,he should get here at any moment."  
"I´ll wait for him."  
Vincent took a chair and headed to the darkest corner he could find.He couldn´t explain it,but he feeled more comfortable in the dark than in the light.Maybe is a side effect of being twenty years in a coffin,he thought.  
  
At a forest near Nibel mountains,Cloud was before a large tree,his sword resting in the floor.  
"C´mon,I can do it,I have to do it."  
He grabbed his sword and tried to lift it.He couldn´t .He tried again, with all the strength he was capable of.Nothing.He seated next to the sword,his Ultima Weapon,the letters in the handle laughing at him:"To the one who defeats the Ultimate Weapon." Cloud snorted.Months ago,he could swing his sword over his head as it were a stick.Now he couldn´t even lift it.He noticed it a couple of months ago,and with each day his strenght diminished.He didn´t wanted to worry Tifa,so he always got up early in the morning to train in the forest,so she couldn´t see him struggling to carry his sword.How long could he hide the truth from her?  
"Maybe I need help"  
Maybe it was time to ask for help.But not Tifa.He couldn´t tell her he was a weakling again.Then he thought of Vincent.He was a person he could trust wouldn´t say anything to anyone.Maybe he could have the same problems,since their powers came from Mako and Jenova cells.He reclined the sword in a tree and tied it to his back.He made an effort to get up and tried to go back at the town as quckly as he could.It was time to ask for help.  
  
"Please,I beg you,give me another chance!"  
"Is useless,Reeve,you´re finished."  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!."  
Reeve just watched helplesly as the nuke falled on top of his command center,the last building he had.Then the words "You lose" apeared on his computer screen.He clicked the button and appeared in a chat room.  
"How could you do that?" he writed.  
"Well,you´re so bad I can´t just not do it." Wood_elf writed.  
"Yes I haven´t seen a worst Starcraft player in all my life." the Captain said.  
"Shut up! I have a job,I can´t play all the day as you guys."  
"Why don´t you just do your job instead of playing with us?"  
"That´s what I´m going to do.Goodbye."  
Reeve exited Battlenet and entered the company´s files.Since the Shinra was finished,he was without a job,but then he saw it as an oportunity.He gathered all the talented (and honest) people he knew from Shinra and started a new company."Reeve Responses" not only gave assesory to other companies,but also developed new technologies and products.It wasn´t a very big company,but Reeve was already a wealthy man,thanks to the hard work he and his employees did all the days.He turned his attention to his little project.Searching the missing Shinra Army was no easy task,even considering an army can´t just dissapear, but he hadn´t any success working on his own.Maybe he should talk to Cloud and the others about this,he though.Maybe a little help wouldn´t hurt.  
  
The man descended from the car,and entered the town.It seemed almost without a change,but many people from Midgar had stablished themselves here,after the Meteor destroyed the upper plates of the city. From a ghost town,Nibelheim had become a noisy and busy town,a point of meeting to various mercancies from Wutai to Junon.He held his suitcase in his right hand and headed to the place of the meeting.In his letter, he had only said his boss wanted to hire them because of their abilities. It was not entirely false,he thought,only that maybe they wouldn´t be interested in the job.But as his boss had said "I want to do it quietly if possible,if not then we will use other ways."  
The door opened at Tifa´s bar and Tifa got up to greet the costumer.He looked like a business man,if not for the black glasses,that made him look like a mafia hitman.Well,Tifa thought,a costumer is a costumer.  
"Welcome,do you want a table?"  
"Thanks.Yes I do.I´m waiting for two people to come here shortly. Haven´t you seen them? I expected they would be here now."  
"Are you looking for Vincent and Cloud?"  
"Yes,Mr.Valentine and Mr. Strife.Are they here?"  
Vincent stepped out of the corner towards the visitor.  
"I´m Valentine.Vincent Valentine."  
"Good day Mr.Valentine.I´m Jacob Marley.I think you and Mr. Strife have received my proposition."  
"Yes we have.What´s this business proposition you wanted to made?"  
"I would prefer Mr. Strife accompanied us before I told you about it." The door opened,and a very tired Cloud entered the bar.He was sweating and breathing heavily.He leaned against the wall and untied the sword.  
"Cloud,are you alright?" Tifa asked.  
"Yes,nothing a couple of your beers can´t solve."  
"Maybe you should stop training so hard.You´re already very strong."  
Cloud just smiled,thinking how "strong" he was now.Then he noticed the man and seated in a table signing them to accompany him.Vincent and Jacob seated with Cloud,and Jacob took some papers from his suitcase. "Hello,Mr. Strife,I´m Jacob Marley,and as I was telling Mr.Valentine shortly before you arrived I,I mean,my boss wants to hire you."  
"As long as it´s nothing illegal." Cloud said.  
"Oh no,no! It´s something legal I assure you.I come in name of Rexcon Weapons,Inc. We want to hire you as assesors."  
"But we don´t know nothing about weapons manufacturing." Vincent said.  
"We now that.We basically want you to be in charge of testing the weapons in real life combat conditions.We would provide the weapons to you and you would use them in your "jobs".Of course,you will be paid a generous amount of money,and in addition to testing them,you would be required to do some secret operations for the corporation."  
"What kind of secret operations?" Vincent asked.  
"Simply secret." Jacob smiled."Are you interested?"  
"Well,frankly,Mr. Marley,we´re not interested in that kind of job.We like being mercenaries,and we don´t like to be obliged to do "secret operations" for a company."  
"We can offer you the double of the highest amount you have earned as a mercenary."  
"Sorry,but our answer it´s no." Cloud finished.  
"Well,in case any of you change your opinion here´s my card.Goodbye"  
Jacob then exited the bar.when he was in the street,he took his cel phone and dialed a number.  
"It´s Jacob.Let me talk with the General."  
"Yes?"   
"Sir,it´s Marley.They didn´t accepted the job.What we´ll do now?"  
"Well,too bad.I guess we´ll have to get those Jenova cells in a more "direct" manner.Get back to the headquarters inmediately."  
"Yes,sir." Jacob then turned off the phone and got in the car,to go out of Nibelheim.  
  
"Well,what do you think about it,Vincent?"  
"He was lying.Every word he said was a lie.His body language,his breathing...He was lying from the beginning,except when he said he sent the letter."  
"What can he want with you guys?"  
"I dunno.But whatever it is,is not a good thing.We better be more careful from now on."  
"Well,I´ll be heading back to the mansion.I´ll see you tomorrow."  
"I´ll go with you Vincent,there´s something I want to talk with you."  
Vincent and Cloud got out of the bar and walked towards the mansion. Vincent saw Cloud was worried about something,and altough he had his own share of problems,it didn´t meant he couldn´t help a friend.  
"Vincent,have you felt alright this past months?"  
"Yes,Why do you ask?"  
"Well,remember that lately I´ve been using materia more and more in the past missions we have had?"  
"It seemed strange you almost didn´t used your sword.After all it´s one of the most powerful things in the planet."  
"It´s because..." this wasn´t going to be easy to say "I´ve lost all my strenght.In the past months,I´ve been becoming more and more weak and now I´m not even capable of lifting it.Maybe it´s because it´s happening to the Jenova cells that gives me,you,and every member of SOLDIER it´s power.That´s because I´m asking you if you are still the same."  
"Hmm.Now that you mention it,I have noticed that it takes me longer to transform into the monsters.It´s like I need to be really furious to make the change."  
"So we both are losing our powers.What are we going to do?"  
"I don´t mind losing the capability of changing into those beasts.But it matters to you,isn´t it?"  
"Yes,it´s just I can´t deal with being weak again.What if Tifa finds out? Will she treat me the same or will she look at me with sorrow? I can´t stand the thought of it."  
Vincent putted his claw in Cloud´s shoulder.  
"Cloud,listen to me.Tifa loves you,and would never think less of you just because you aren´t capable of fighting like before.And remember, you even defeated Sephiroth before having the Jenova cells injected.Your strenght doesn´t comes from Mako or alien cells." Vincent then pointed to Cloud´s chest "it comes from here.Believe me,you´re the strongest person I have met,and that includes me."  
"Thanks Vincent,I needed to hear that.But even so,I want to see what´s going on.Maybe it´s a symptom of something bigger."  
"You´re right.Let´s go with Reeve,I think he could help us.Tomorrow we´ll go to Rocket Town and ask Cid to take us to Junon.He should tell us what´s happening to our bodies."  
"Good idea.I´ll go pack right away." Cloud the turned to go to his house."And Vincent..."  
"I won´t say anything to Tifa."  
"Thanks."  
  


* * *

  
  


## Chapter Two

###  Shards of truth

Everywhere was bright.  
Everywhere you looked,you would find the same pale green light.At the Lifestream,altough the vital energy was used to create more life,the personalities,the consciences remained,until moving...forward.They looked like the bodies they had formerly inhabited,maybe in an unconscious effort of trying to linger on their former lives.But,it doesn´t mattered how hard you wished,you only could go one way.Two of them were arguing.  
"Aeris,you know it´s impossible! No one can go back,no matter how hard you try."  
"But I MUST go back! You and me know that my friends will need me.Have you forgotten what we saw?"  
"It´s just one of millions of possibilities,of futures! I told you this before you asked The Conscience."  
The Conscience.Aeris remembered how,upon her arrival,her mother had explained to her everything she had only guessed until then.The Conscience could be called the soul of the Planet.It was alive,and, contrary to what anybody believed,it didn´t reacted on instinct like an animal,it was aware of every posible treat to its safety and it manipulated the events so the treats would never come true.That was until Jenova came.An entity so powerful,the Planet had to use direct action,namely,the Weapons.They were used only as a last resoure,since unleashing them meant a great expense of spirit energy.But Jenova, sensing their power,interfered with the bond the Weapons had with the Planet,transforming them in mindless destruction agents.But thanks to the efforts of Avalanche,they were destroyed,along with Jenova.The Conscience decided to spare the human race,since Jenova was the treat to it,and it were humans who defeated it.  
"But what if this comes true!? I just don´t want to stay here while what we saw becomes a reality."  
"Aeris,there´s no way we can tell that for sure.And even if it became true,you can´t go back,you only can retard it.You will eventually go with me and the others into the Promised Land."  
"Then I just accept it?"  
"As hard as it may be...yes."  
Aeris turned away from her mother.She remembered when she arrived where The Conscience is.She was an Ancient,and that meant The Conscience would treat her with certain deference.She only asked to see what would the future would bring to her friends.The Conscience then showed her images of the near future,how they defeated Sephiroth,and how Holy stopped the Meteor from destroying all life.Then,it showed her the far future.  
It was her worst nightmare.The earth was burned by the energies unleashed against it,death and destruction everywhere.Then she saw her friends,Cloud,Tifa,Cid...all of them lying in the ground,without life. And above them,the monster responsible for all of this.She ran away from those visions of death,crying for her friends.Since then,she had decided something.She had to go back.  
"I can´t.They are my friends,there must be something I can do."  
Ifalna saw how decided her daughter was.She had the look of someone who wouldn´t stop against anything to accomplish her goals.  
"Maybe there is a way."  
  
Cloud and Vincent started their journey to Rocket Town.Cloud was carrying his Murasame,the lighter of his swords altough not the most powerful.Vincent had his Outsider strapped to his belt,since he liked traveling light,and his Death Penalty,altough powerful,was very hard to carry with comfort,and this was just going to be an easy travel.Both of them were riding black chocoboes.Since they had almost no use for the gold one since defeating Sephiroth,they leaved it at the Chocobo Farm,as a gift for the help they had gotten there.The last they had heard it was that ChocoBill was breeding it,and selling the new gold chocobos for big amounts of gil to rich people and racers.Since then,the chocobo races were more exciting than ever.  
"We should arrive in five hours at this rate." Vincent said.  
"Yes.Hope Cid isn´t very busy.Wonder if he is building another rocket?"  
"I don´t know,we haven´t kept on touch lately,but it seems he found the Tiny Bronco and fixed it,so I guess he will give us a ride to Junon."  
  
A fist smashed the clock,the beeping it made silenced.Then Cid turned around to sleep a bit more.  
"Good morning Captain!"  
Shera entered the room and opened the curtains.The light entered trough the window and fell in the bed.A handful of curses were heard.  
"C´mon Cid,it´s time to wake up! It´s nine o´clock already."  
"Dammit woman! When will you understand that for me,any hour before eleven it´s too early!?"  
"C´mon Cid,today it´s your date with the guy who says that he wants to fund the new rocket."  
"Why didn´t you waked me earlier!!? He will be here at ten! I have to bath and eat breakfast and arrange the schematics!"  
Cid ran to the bathroom,and a string of curses were heard as he noticed he had opened the cold water.Shera just sighed,even after all those years ,he was the same.No,she corrected,he was more kind to her,since he discovered the malfunction on tank no.8.Since his return from the Northern Crater,he had apologized to her repeteadly.But he wouldn´t tell her what she wanted to hear more than anything.  
He hadn´t told her he loved her.  
It could be guessed in the way he looked at her,how he talked to her. Sometimes,when they were alone,he seemed like he would take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her,but at the last minute he would hesitate and would get away from her.Why?,Shera asked herself.She didn´t knew the answer but maybe it was her fault,maybe he was unsure of himself, or maybe...  
"Shera,where´re my clothes?"  
She stopped thinking and came back to the real world,telling herself she would talk with him later.  
"It´s in the closet.It´s near your sweaters."  
Shera then went to the kitchen.Cid then got out dressed in his usual clothes.Shera just saw at him and let escape a sigh.  
"What? What´s wrong?"  
"Well,I though you would dress in a more formal way to meet with the man who wants to fund the rocket.You don´t want to make a wrong impression on him,do you?"  
"Ah,dammit,I won´t dress in one of them monkey suits.And I feel more comfortable this way."  
"At least use a lab coat to make yourself look more like a scientist instead of a mechanic."  
"Hell,I´ll dress the way I want,and if he just sees my appearance and doesn´t listen to me,he can go with his funds to other part."  
"Cid,he is the only one who has expressed any interest in funding a new rocket.Or do you have the money to make a rocket by yourself?"  
Cid mumbled.He was rich,richer than a normal person because he had sold a good deal of his share of materia,but to build a rocket you needed a lot of money.After a couple of weeks seeking funds in his own,he saw that companies weren´t too interested in space exploration, or the ones who did,didn´t had enough money to fund it.Until three weeks ago,when Cid got a letter from a man telling him he would be glad to talk to him about the rocket.He said his client was very interested in that project,and would like to talk with him about it.  
"Maybe you´re right.I´ll use the goddamn lab coat."  
  
An hour later,Jacob entered Cid´s house.Shera greeted him and told him Cid would be there shortly. Then Cid appeared,with the lab coat on.It was one of Shera´s,the biggest he had found,and even so he felt like any sudden movement would rip it.He invited Jacob to seat and took out his schematics. He spent the next half hour talking about the new rocket and answering the questions of Jacob.Then Jacob raised his hand to stop Cid´s exposition.  
"Well,Mr. Highwind,you have convinced me.I´m sure my client will be more than willing to fund this project.But we want to know something."  
"Of course,ask about anything."  
"Well,we expect that you will develop new technology exclusively for this project,and we want to have the rights to commercialize it."  
"Are you saying that anything we invent for the rocket will be automatically yours?" Shera asked.  
"Well,yes.We are going to spend a lot of money in this,and we want to take out of this as much profit we can."  
Cid frowned.He remembered how the first rocket got built by Shinra,and when he acted to save Shera,they said it wouldn´t be "profitable" to prepare another launch.Finally,the rocket only lifted off because of the Meteor.Cid didn´t want to pass all that again,just because someone said it was more interested in the profits that anything else.  
"Well,Mr.Highwind,do you accept?"  
"Frankly,Mr.Marley,I don´t like the idea of your client using our technology to make money."  
"I knew you would said that,so I bring here a contract that will make everyone participating in the project have a good share of the utilities coming from the comercialization of anything you develop."  
Cid stared with his mouth open.This was better than he tought! A new rocket and a good incoming of money from it! Shera touched him to make him react and then Cid took a pen.  
"Where do I sign?"  
"Right here please."  
Maybe it was fate,or just luck,but before Cid signed,he saw in the upper part of the contract,in big black bold letters the name of the company "Rexcon Weapons".  
"Wait a goddamn minute! Are you working for a weapons company!?"  
"Well,altough our company has also interests in construction and pharmaceuticals,the weapons manufacturing is still the biggest of our interests."  
Cid just got past Jacob and opened the door.  
"I don´t want anything to do with death dealers like you and your company! And I´ll be damned if I let any of you money mongers get close to MY rocket! Get out of here now!"  
"Well,Mr.Highwind,if you change your mind,you can call me,here´s my card."  
Jacob took his suitcase and got out of Cid´s house.  
  
Joshua took a long look at his surroundings.The church seemed like new,after his followers cleaned and repaired it.It was located in the former sector 5 of Midgar.A year had passed since he apeared in Midgar,healing the wounded and organizing the people.Now,Midgar looked better than when Meteor almost crushed it,the plates having dissapeared,letting the people see the sky whenever they wanted.The slums now looked more like a well organized city,clean and peaceful, everybody busy,since Joshua allowed companies establish there,but with the condition they weren´t weapons or chemicals companies.A young blond woman went towards him.  
"Joshua! It´time for your preach,what are you doing here?"  
Joshua turned around to see the woman.Her name was Julia,and he remembered she was in a very bad shape when he found her.A huge piece of debris had fell on top of her,and all under her neck was crushed.When he arrived to where she was,she couldn´t breath.He kneeled and used his power to cure her.Since then she had become one of his most loyal followers.  
"I was thinking.We have done so much thanks to everyone´s work."  
"Yes,but it´s almost time for your preaching,the people it´s coming."  
Joshua then walked towards a podium with microphone.He touched it to see if the speakers were on and saw how the people filled the church.Everyone wanted to come to hear him,and those who couldn´t get in heard him through speakers colocated in the outside.  
Joshua waited until the last person had entered and then began.  
"My dear friends,today,as always,we are here to thank a higher power from saving us from the disaster and death.That power prevented the Meteor called by the forces of evil from killing us and destroying our planet.That same power makes possible to everyone of us to be,and makes everything come to life.And that power just aks to us to take care of its creation.So when the time comes,we will be ascended to the place that is rigthfully ours,as the true heirs of this planet,and then we will be truly in our promised land."  
Joshua stopped to see the reaction on everyones faces.All the eyes were fixed on him.He took a breath and continued.  
"So again I tell to you,be prepared,because soon the time will come when we will have to reclaim what it´s rigthfully ours from those who don´t want to see the truth.They were given the same chances that you,to come to us and accompany us,but they prefer to be stuck in their evil ways.Don´t forget my words,and be ever vigilant of those who don´t want to hear the words of the Mother."  
Joshua then signed and a chorus began to sing,he smiled.Everything was going as planned.  
  


* * *

  



	2. Chapter 3: Discoveries

## Chapter Three

## Discoverings

by Kal  
Cloud and Vincent entered the town. It was as always,quiet, with little people in the streets . In the middle of it, the empty plataform of the Shinra 26 stood there, as a silent reminder that man had gone once into outer space, a silent monument that reminded dreamers everywhere that dreams can come true.Knowing where Cid lived,they were in front of his door in a couple of minutes,and they smiled when they heard the normal string of curses coming from behind it.  
  
"What the hell do you want!?"  
  
Cloud and Vincent just smiled. Cid then passed from being really pissed,to be very happy in just a moment.   
  
"Well, I´ll be damned! What kept you guys from come to visit me before? Get your butts inside my house now!"  
  
They entered the house. It had changed a little since their last visit. What they noticed most was that vases full of flowers were in almost every room. Also, gone were all the machinery parts that littered the floor a long time ago. It was evidently Cid hadn´t been doing many mechanic work lately.  
  
"Sit and have a cool one. Shera! You will never goddamn guess who came!"  
  
Shera got out of the small workshop they had in the house. She was covered with grease, having a couple of black goggles in her head.  
  
"Cloud! Vincent! How you´ve been? It´s been months since you came with Tifa and Barret and his daughter."  
  
"Hello Shera. Glad to see you."  
  
"Hello. Glad you are okay."  
  
Cid came back from the kitchen, with three beer mugs in his hands.Soon, they were remembering, among laughters, their fight against Sephiroth and Shinra. Cid laughed very loudly when he remembered the Turks phrase "We may retreat, but we are still victorious."  
  
"Those assels had luck I didn´t use their air filled heads to mop the floor! HAHAHAHAA!"  
  
Shera excused herself, saying she was a bit tired after working all the day in her Shinra Desert Buster ´67. She went to her room and closed the door.  
  
"Cid, it is great to see you, and I would like to remember our war tales all night long,but..."  
  
Cloud lowered his head, and his voice. "This isn´t a social visit.We hoped you could do us a favor."  
  
Cloud then began to tell Cid about his weakness, how every day he was more and more weak, how he couldn´t lift his sword, and about how Vincent couldn´t transform into the beasts without a great effort. Cid listened in silence, ocasionally taking a breath from his cigarrette. At the end of the story, he just stood in his chair, seeing how the fire consumed his cigarrette. He took a new one from its box and lighted it.  
  
"Well, of course I will take you guys to Junon. I haven´t seen Reeve in a while, and I wanted to talk with him about the new rocket."  
  
"How will you take us? In the Highwind?" Cloud asked.  
  
"Nah.Been too busy to repair it. I´ll take you in the Tiny Bronco II."  
  
"Did you fix the Tiny Bronco?"  
  
"Nah, I built a new one. It seems the other was swallowed by the sea during a storm while we were traveling in the Highwind. A group of fishermen told me all about it. So, a couple of months ago, while I was with Reeve at Junon, he told me they had found something in a warehouse and they didn´t knew what it was. He took me to a labs area in his building and in the middle of many machines,was the most beautiful thing I´ve ever saw."  
  
"It was a JA-2100 engine for a jet. I´d heard about it while I was in Shinra. It seems they thought it was too expensive to be mass produced,so they just locked it in a warehouse. I took it,and after a couple of months, I had my new airplane. And I also added a couple of 17 mm cannons just ´cause I didn´t want to see them rust in a corner of my garage."  
  
"You had military weapons in your garage?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Hell yeah! And if you´re interested, I also have a portable rocket launcher, and a couple of uzi´s that I took as a souvenirs from my days in the Air Force."  
  
"Thanks, but I´ll pass. I think we should go to sleep,since it´s late."  
  
"Vincent it´s right. We´ll sleep at the Shangai Inn, we don´t want to bother Shera and you."  
"Dammit! You are not bothering anyone! You can sleep here. The sofa in that room becomes a bed, and it has a rug, so the one who sleeps in the floor won´t be too discomfortable."  
  
"Thanks, Cid." Cloud then went to the room and closed the door.  
  
Cid was going into his room, when he heard Vincent.  
  
"Yeah?" Cid said.  
  
"Cid, haven´t you told Shera?" Vincent asked.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About your feelings."  
  
"Damn! What the hell are you talking about!? I don´t have any feelings for her!"  
  
"You are lying." Vincent said.  
  
"Go to hell! You don´t know what my goddamn feelings are, so leave me alone!"  
  
"All right. But remember, it´s worse to ask yourself all your life what would had happened if you had talked. She deserves to know."  
  
Cid just stood silent.  
  
"Good night Cid."  
  
Vincent entered the room that Cloud was in, and closed the door. Cid turned to enter his room. In a very low voice, he told something to himself.  
  
"She deserves someone better than me."  
  
  
Nanaki entered the house. It had been a very hard day. Being Cosmo Canyon´s protector was no walk in the park. First, he attended a meeting with the elders, to resolve if the Canyon should open to other cities, and make it a "modern, bigger city" in words of elder Hagen. In the other hand, "the Canyon should stay as the scientific and research center it had been sice ancient times" in words of elder Bugen. Both of them wanted the best for the Canyon, and it was something that wouldn´t resolve in one day. Nanaki then went to the office of elder Koryan. It was a young man, at 29 years, most elders being 50 and more older, but his merits had earned him the title of elder, and in the voting that followed to choose the new leader of the Canyon, he was elected by the mayority. The older elders doubted he could handle the job, but soon they were pleased to found they were wrong. He did a great job, keeping the researchs at the Canyon, and promoting the use of solar energy to complement the one obtained by eolic means.  
  
They discussed about ways to make the Canyon grow, at the same time keeping it as a research and knowledge center. After hours of talking, they decided to left the matter to other day. Now, everything he wantd was to lay down.  
  
Then,he sensed it. The hairs in the back of his neck arised. He was not alone! The fine insticts that his species had, alerted him of dangers, and this time was no exception. The intruder was in the lab of Bugenhagen. Nanaki entered the room, carefully. The room was dark, but he had no problems to see the intruder. He was against the opposite wall,hoping that whoever entered the room didn´t noticed his presence. Nanaki moved silently towards him, trying to do it as quietly as possible. Then, the intruder, feeling that something was wrong, tried to ran to the door.  
  
Nanaki quickly jumped and tried to make the enemy fall. But he only grabbed the intruders backpack in his teeth. He fighted to not let it go, as the intruder tried to get away with it. They figthed for a couple of minutes, hoping the other would let it go. Then,the intruder kicked him, trying to make him let go of the backpack, but Nanaki ripped it, and the backpack´s content fell to the floor. The intruder quickly ran away, and Nanaki didn´t followed him. He wanted to see what was so important to the intruder to risk being captured.  
  
His eyes then opened with surprise. The four Huge Materias were in front of him, gleaming as they had an inner light. Obviously, the intruder was after them, but why? Nanaki knew they were really rare materia, but they had no other use, apart from making Master materias. He put them in the machine again, and closed the door. He didn´t know the answers to his questions, but he knew of someone who could anwser them.  
  
Reeve was in front of his computer, staring at the screen. What happened to the Shinra Army? The question always was in his mind, like a thorn that bothered him. He had the names of the soldiers, their adresses, heck, even the names of the bars were they got drunk. But they had vanished. How? Why? Where? He wanted to answer those questions, but, meanwhile,he had a company to run. He closed the file and began to see the proyects that were delayed. One of them in particular caught his eye. It had been delayed for more than six months. The one in charge of it always said the same:"I need more time." But Reeve was growing tired of this. Maybe he should send someone to check how the proyect was going.  
  
"But,maybe I should see how it´s going by myself" Reeve thought.  
  
Then again, he had a company to run, he couldn´t supervise every proyect personally. Maybe it was time to see how his "pet" project was going on.  
  
Reeve exited his office and entered the elevator, checking that no one was near. He closed the elevator´s doors, and under the usual button panel, he slid open another button panel.He pressed one of them, and soon the elevator was going down the building, to areas so secret, only the ones who were working on them knew about them. The elevator stopped and it´s doors opened. Reeve then entered a labs area, with all sorts of electronic things on vey untidy desks, with computers working all the time. But, it was nothing unusual for a lab that worked on something so complex as AI:Artificial Intelligence.  
  
"President Reeve! It´s an honor to have you here sir! Welcome!"  
  
Reeve then turned to face the one who talked to him. It was a woman of around thirty years, the classic scientist: gold framed glasses, white lab coat, a pocket protector full of pens and pencils, a calculator in the other pocket. But, she distinguished from others because she was really atractive, even when she looked as the ultimate nerd. She was in good physical condition, altough it was obvious she didn´t do a lot of exercise, with blond, long hair falling behind her shoulders, and a face that made her look like a movies actress. Reeve always had wondered what such a pretty woman was doing in a lab, instead of being a model.  
But then again, people always had to follow their own path on life. She was one of the most brilliant people he had in his company, leading the efforts to create Artificial Intelligence before anyone.  
"Dr. Connor, thanks. I came to see how was advancing the proyect."  
  
"Well, I´m very pleased to say that we are on the final stages. Soon, we´ll make a computer able to make decisions on its own, without human intervention." said Dr. Connor.  
  
"How much will it be until it´s fully completed?" Reeve asked.  
  
"Well, we are working non-stop. Everyone wants to complete this proyect as soon as possible. I even haven´t sleep in two days." Dr. Connor said.  
  
"That doesn´t answer my question."  
  
"Frankly, we don´t know. Even if we hadn´t overseen anything, it´s too soon to say a concrete date." Reeve nodded in silence. Creating a machine fully able to think and make its own decisions surely had to take an awful lot of time.  
  
"OK. Then, keep me informed as usual, and if you need anything, don´t be afraid to ask for it."  
  
Reeve then went back to the elevator and pressed the button to the floor his office was in. He needed to send someone he trusted to go check Proyect Plus. Maybe I could send someone else he thought.  
  
  
In a cave near Wutai, the sound of the goats of water dripping from the tips of the estalactites was silenced by another noise.An electrical buzzing that indicated that machinery was being used there. At the sides of the cave where all kinds of scientific instruments, but what outstanded most was a couple of big, metal chambers. Suddenly, in the side of one of them, a red light became green, and the hidraulic sound of a door opening was heard. From inside, a short, black haired man with evil factions appeared.  
  
After being disoriented a couple of minutes, inhalating the air that, until his liberation from the chamber had been breathed through tubes, he got up hesitantly, as it were the first time he walked after a long time. He went near a closet and took out a bundle of clothes. Soon, it was dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a lab coat, and the final touch, a pair of gold framed glasses, made evidently that a new nightmare had begun for his enemies.  
  
"AAHHHNNN!!" he stretched "I knew I had to put a TV in there. It´s so boring to float in that green liquid,just thinking on my revenge." A wicked smiled then crossed his face. "But, then again it´s so much FUN to think about what´s to come."  
  
He chuckled and took a pair of keys from a nearby table, then approached the other chamber. All the counters showed it was nearly done. Soon,where failure was, triumph would appear. He then opened a door,and a frigorific chamber was exposed, full of all kinds of food.  
  
"Healthy mind in a healthy body" he thought. Then he started to laugh, adverting that one of humanity´s worst enemies had returned.  
  



	3. Chapter 4: Dreams

##  Chapter Four

## Dreams

by Kal  
  
  
He was in the nowhere.  
In front of him, the demon,the dragon. All that is evil, dressed with clothes as dark as the night. In his hands, his long blade. Waiting for it´s nemesis. His ice blue eyes waiting, watching.  
  
In the other hand, the knight,the savior, the hero.Saint John, Siegfried, Michael all in one. His mythical weapon in his hands. His sky blue eyes staring at the evil in front of him. The anger inside him growing with each second. He tastes it, he enjoys it.  
  
The confrontation that has spawned many stories and myths since the humanity was born. In one side, the good, the hero. In the other, the evil, the villain. Kain and Abel, Thor and Loki, all legends about the same theme.  
  
The good battling the evil.  
  
Suddenly,the attack. He runs forward with all his strenght. His sword at his side clenched in his fists. He raises it over his head, and strikes. One, two, three... Fourteen times. Each blow has all his strenght in it, augmented by his fury. Each blow tears apart bone and flesh. Each blow bringing his enemy closer to Death´s embrace.  
  
The demon feels it. It takes two steps backwards, covered in blood, his blood. He knows he is about to die.  
  
Then, the eyes. Eyes that transform. His eyes cease to be those of a demon, and become those of a human being. A human being that is ashamed. A human being that is horrified at what he has done.  
  
He says two words, almost too low to be heard.   
  
"I´m... sorry..."  
  
Then, he explodes, his essence transforming in red lights. The red lights come near him, enter his spiritual body and go out, now being green.  
  
Everything has finished.  
  
Then, a hand appears. A delicate, feminine hand, trying to reach him.  
  
"It can´t be..."  
  
He knows that hand.  
  
"Aeris."  
  
Is she reaching for him to come to where is she and they can be together? Or is she trying to get him back to the physical world? How easy would it be to grab that hand, that delicate hand, and escape from all the pain and the sadness he has lived. Or he could go back, and using what he learned, make himself the life he wanted to live, without being no one´s puppet, being the actor of his own drama, not someone´s else.  
  
The choice is hard.  
  
The time is running.  
  
He extends his hand. He almost reaches hers.  
  
"I am sorry."  
  
Suddenly, he withdraws his hand. Then, the ligth tunnel again. He opens his eyes.  
  
Cloud wakes up.  
  
He seats in the couch he was sleeping on. The dream, the same goddamn dream. He had it every night, since that day (/or it was night?/) when they had saved the world. He has come to know what to expect. He confronts Sephiroth. He kills Sephiroth. He goes back. But there´s always something that bothers him.  
  
Sephiroth didn´t try to avoid him.  
  
He didn´t even try to defend himself.  
  
It was as he was there, just waiting for Cloud to end all.  
  
To make him pay for his sins?  
  
/How can that be?/  
  
He always had seen Sephiroth as a villain, as a scoundrel, someone who deserved all the hate he could direct towards him. But every night the same dream made him doubt.Was Sephiroth a villain or a victim? He knew that he had done the most evil things he had knew, but...  
  
Those eyes.  
  
Reflecting a great sadness, a great suffering, an even greater regret.  
  
Cloud layed down again. It didn´t mattered how much he thought about it, there could not be an answer to his questions.  
  
He does the only prudent thing.  
  
He sleeps again.  
  
  
He can´t escape.  
  
It doesn´t matter where he runs, he can´t escape.  
  
He turns back to confront the monsters. They halt before him.  
  
The beast snarls with anticipation, the gigas pounds its fists on its chest, the maniac just rotates its head and spins its chainsaw. And the worst of them, the demon, just stands there, watching at him, with those evil red eyes, and showing its fangs in a wicked smile.  
  
Then the ground collapses behind the beasts. A figure appears. He advances where Vincent is standing, the beasts opening the circle formed around Vincent to let it pass.  
  
"Hojo." Vincent says, as tough with the hatred in his voice he could send him back to the hell he emerged from.  
  
"My, my, are we having a bad day, aren´t we?"  
  
Vincent leaps towards Hojo, hands extended. He tries to reach for his neck, but its quickly hold by the beasts. They make him kneel before Hojo.  
  
"I guess you´re not very happy to see me." Hojo says, with a false hurt tone.  
  
"I hate you! I could chop you in tiny pieces, feed them to the dogs, and still that wouldn´t be enough for what you did to me and Lucrecia!" Vincent spat.  
  
"What I did? C´mon, Vinny, you and me know who the real culprit is." Hojo says, getting close to Vincent who is being hold by his arms by the beasts. Hojo kneels and grabs Vincent´s face with his right hand and forces him to see him at his eyes.  
  
"If you hadn´t left Lucrecia alone, none of this would had happened. You could have killed me at the moment I suggested her to use our child for experiments with the Jenova cells. You then would had been able to escape with her and her baby to any place you wanted, far from me and the Shinra, to live as a happy family forever and ever." Hojo said in an acussing tone.  
  
"I...I...wanted her to be happy..." Vincent said in a low voice.  
  
"What´s that? You wanted her to be happy!? Then why you let her to be with me!? You knew I wasn´t good enough for her, that I would make her suffer!" Hojo screamed in Vincent´s face.  
  
Vincent remained silent.  
  
"You know, Vinny, I have this little theory. You wanted Lucrecia to suffer because she dumped you!" Hojo said getting up and extending his arms to the heavens, in a triunfal pose.  
  
"That´s not true!" Vincent screamed.  
  
"Of course it is! She prefered me over you. You knew I would make her suffer. And..." Hojo then pointed his finger to Vincent´s head. "Inside that little head you thought of the perfect revenge. She didn´t wanted to be with you, to be truly happy? Fine! Then you would let her suffer with me, making her think every day of her life what would had happened if she had chosed you. You washed your hands thinking that if she wanted to be with be, you didn´t mind. But every single moment you hoped for me to make her suffer as she made you when she rejected you!"  
  
Vincent lowered his head. He mumbled something.  
  
"What? What is that again? Speak louder, I cannot hear you."  
  
"...it´s not my fault."  
  
"Of course it is! You can deny it all day long, during all the days of your life, but you and me know the truth Vinny. You hated Lucrecia for dumping you. That´s okay, because, you see, we only hate those that we love."  
  
"I didn´t hate her! I loved her more than my life!"  
  
Hojo ignored Vincent. He turned around and began to talk again.  
  
"And, when you got the punishment you deserved for your sins, you thought that everything was my fault.You denied being the responsible of all. You still try to deny your responsibility as the one who did it all. Well, I have you news. It´s time you pay for all of that."  
  
With a sign from Hojo the monsters began to attack Vincent, breaking his bones, tearing his flesh.  
  
Vincent screams.  
  
He woke up.  
  
He was sweating a cold sweat. His eyes opened widely.  
  
It was just a nightmare.  
  
He tries to sleep again, laying in the floor of the room he is sharing with Cloud in Cid´s house. He closes his eyes, trying to forget the nightmare. But Hojo´s words still echoed inside him hurting him, making him feel more pain than ever in his life.  
  
  
It was late in the afternoon at Junon. The sun gleamed over the cars on the filled streets. A car was parked outside a gray imposing building. At the top of it´s fifty floors of height, could be readed the words "Rexcon". In the last floor, a man opened a door to a rather large office. Inside there was an oak desk, beatifully decorated with many intricate patterns in it´s surface. Behind it was a black swivel chair, turned to a window. A voice emanated from behind it.  
  
"Report, Marley."  
  
Jacob then proceeded to describe with details the results of his visits to Nibelheim and Rocket Town. About the negatives given to him by "Misters Strife, Valentine and Highwind" as he called them.  
  
A cloud of smoke then appeared from behind of the chair.  
  
"Well, it´s a shame. I guess Plan A didn´t work out, so we´ll have to go ahead with Plan B. Assemble a team of twenty... No, thirty of our men, give them non-lethal weapons and make sure they´re ready to take off this night. I have received some reports of my spies at Rocket Town, and it seems they are all at Highwind´s house. That´s more than convenient for our plans, we can have them all at the same place."   
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"And Marley..."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"I want you to go with them, and command this operation. Don´t fail to me, you know well what happens to those who dissapoint me."  
  
If Jacob wasn´t good at controlling his emotions, his knees would be shaking, and he would be covered in sweat.  
  
"Yes, sir... I won´t let you down."  
  
"I hope so, for your own sake. You´re dismissed."  
  
Jacob was trembling when he shut the door when he exited the office.  
  
  
Tifa sighed. The last client had walked outside the bar hours ago, but she was still busy. She put the chairs with their legs upwards on the last table, and turned off the lights. She closed the bar, and headed to her house,just across the street, on the other side of the well. She was exhausted. Now more than ever she wanted Cloud to comfort her. She missed him altough he wasn´t been away more than a day.  
  
She had a strange feeling. A feeling that had appeared months ago, growing with each day. Something was not right. Cloud was hiding something. She felt it.  
  
What could it be? What was that Cloud could not tell her? Why didn´t he trust her? She had used to think that, after all what they had been through, they could tell each other anything. She knew that, after what they had experienced at the Lifestream, he knew that he could trust her with anything he had in his mind.  
  
But she didn´t know what hurted her more: Cloud not trusting her, or he thinking that she wouldn´t understand.  
  
She entered her house, and closed the door. She went upstairs to her room and changed her clothes for a red-colored pijama that Cloud had given her in her birthday. She went to sleep, hoping that evrything would be okay when Cloud got back from his trip.  
  
  
"Reno, come on! That´s enough for today!"  
  
"Elena, It´s my money, and I will decide when enough it´s enough. And beside´s it´s time for that nine to come out!" Reno said as he threw the dice to the table in front of him.  
  
"Seven." said the croupier. He took the big pile of chips in front of Reno as he sank his head on his hands.  
  
"See, I..." Reno glared at her, convincing her to keep her mouth shut.  
  
Rude then walked through the door.  
  
"Hey, Rude, how´s going?" Elena said.  
  
"Someone contacted us. It seems he wants to use us for a job." He said.  
  
Reno quickly lifted his head.  
  
"Yeah? What is it about?" he asked.  
  
"He says he would only tell us in person. We must go to Junon to receive the orders."  
  
"He? Who´s he?" Elena asked.  
  
"Elena, don´t be so weak. A Turk doesn´t ask questions. But, just for curiosity, who´s our employer?" Reno asked.  
  
"Reeve."  
  
"Reeve? What does he wants us for?"  
  
"I dunno, but he says he will pay us well. Do we accept?"  
  
"Of course! Elena, pack our bags. We are going to Junon!"  
  
"I´m not your mom Reno. You can pack your bags yourself!"  
  
Elena then left before Reno could say anything.  
  
"What happens to her? Well, anyway, we gotta go. We are going to Junon!"  
  


* * *

The fourth chapter, and finally the Turks appear! And what´s with those "dreams"? Well, I used a little simbolism in Cloud´s dream, something I took out from the "Final Fantasy VII Mythologies" by John Brittenham. And before you say that Sephiroth indeed attacks you at the final battle, it´s a weak attack, like trying to provoke you into attacking him.   
  
And in Vincent´s dream, I want to plant a question: Did Vincent hated Lucrecia because she rejected him? Before any Vincent fans flame me about how much Vincent loved Lucrecia, I want to say that I´m also a Vincent fan. I just want to explore his past from a different viewpoint.  
  
Who´s the guy behind the black chair? Why Reeve wants to hire the Turks? Those questions, and more, will be answered in the next chapter.  
  


* * *


	4. Chapter 5: First Blood

##  Chapter Five

by Kal  
  
  


## First Blood

"Rise and shine, Cid"  
  
"What the hell is happening? Is Sephiroth back or something!?"   
  
Cid quickly got up. He was sitting at his bed, rubbing his eyes as the light came in from the windows Shera had opened. Cid extended his right hand to the night table next to his bed, grabbing a cigarretes pack. He muttered some curses as he discovered it was empty.   
  
"Why the hell did you wake me up? I was having this great dream with two incredible babes and..."   
  
A look into Shera´s eyes conviced him of not ending his narration.   
  
"I woke you up because you´re supossed to take Cloud and Vincent to Junon, remember? So you better bath and dress quickly, since they´re eating breakfast already."   
  
"Alright, alright! I´m going, just give me a couple of minutes to clear my thoughts."   
  
"Hurry up, or they´re going to eat all the pancakes."   
  
"Pancakes! Dammit woman, get outta my way!"   
  
As Cloud and Vincent were sitting in the table at Cid´s kitchen, they were surprised to see Cid running into the bathroom carrying a bundle of clothes, yelling curses. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds and continued to eat the pancakes. After 10 minutes or so, Cid came out of the bathroom fully clothed, grabbed a dish, and started to eat pancakes like it was his last meal.   
  
"So, Cid, what have you heard about Reeve?" Cloud asked, trying to make a conversation.   
  
"Well, I heard his company is into many technological and investigation things." Cid said, as he gulped down his fifth pancake.   
  
"I thought it was only a consulting company." Vincent commented.   
  
"Yeah, but after a couple of months, his company started to expand into many other things. Medical investigation, military designs... you name it. A lot of Shinra scientists went to his company to do the projects they couldn´t when they were working for the Shinra."   
  
"Yeah. We heard a lot of Shinra people ended working for Reeve. I hope at least one of them had involvement in the Jenova project." Cloud said.   
  
"I think there´s a good chance we find one. After all, who else would be interested in those goddamn Jenova cells?"   
  
  
"Do you have an appointment, sir?"   
  
The secretary was staring at the man in front of her. Although dressed like a scientist, his presence made her feel uneasy. She passed a finger under the desk, where the button to call security was, as the man leaned over the desk.   
  
"No, I don´t have one. But if you make me the favor of grabbing the phone receiver in your beautiful right hand, and with your lovely left hand you dial the number of my good friend General Powers and tell him that the professor is here, I´m sure he will receive me immediately."   
  
Hojo smiled as the secretary dialed the number and after a couple of minutes of talk, the secretary told him that he could pass into the office. Everything was going to be fine.   
  
  
Jacob checked again his gun. He wanted to make sure every detail was perfect, otherwise the General would put his head on a pike. The operation should be flawless. Although the targets would be caught with their guard low, they would put up a fight. Maybe two or three of his men would fall, but if everything was done right, by night time he would be in front of the General´s desk, informing about a successful operation. Then the helicopter they were in gave a jump, distracting Jacob of his thoughts, and returning him to the real world. He then began to give the men the final instructions.   
  
"Okay, everybody, listen up. In twenty minutes we will be entering Rocket Town. Upon landing, we will search and seize this three subjects." He showed them enlarged pictures of Cid, Vincent and Cloud, and passed them along. "We are to capture them with a minimum of violence, we need them in good shape. If any of you panics and wounds or kills one of them, that person will be punished with extreme prejudice, understood?"   
  
A heavy silence made Jacob aware that everyone had understood.   
  
"Use the tranquilizer darts, and then bring them to helicopter. These two..." He said while pointing to the pictures of Cloud and Vincent. "Those two will need a stronger dose, and the other is extremely important, so don´t overuse the dart guns on him, using the net guns will be fine. The operation shouldn´t take more than five minutes, and in no case we will leave without at least one of them, understood?"   
  
Again, the heavy silence made Jacob know his orders had been understood.   
  
"Well, check your gear, and prepare, we´re about to start the operation."   
  
  
"Well, do you guys have all your stuff?"   
  
"Yes. We are ready to go." Vincent answered.   
  
"How much time will you be away, captain?" Shera asked.   
  
"About two, three days at most. If anything happens, just beep me, and I will come faster than a goddamn speeding bullet, ´kay?"   
  
"Alright. Take care, captain."   
  
"Goodbye, Shera."   
  
The three of them got out of the house, and walked to the backyard. There was Cid´s plane, the Tiny Bronco II. Having spent a lot of time with Cid just fighting and flying in the Highwind, it was easy to forget he was also the best aircraft designer in the world. The Tiny Bronco looked like a fragile model plane, whereas the Tiny Bronco II looked a lot more like a next-generation fighter jet. The only thing that it had in common with the first Tiny Bronco wa the same pink color, and it´s name painted in the right wing. Cid opened the cabin, checked the systems, and started to heat the engines.   
  
"Umm, Cid?" Cloud called him.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"Well, the cabin looks spacious, but where are we going to put our stuff?"   
  
"Wait a damn second."   
  
Cid pressed a button, and a compartment opened in the back of the cabin. Cloud and Vincent began to put their stuff in, when Vincent stared into the horizon. Cloud didn´t notice until Vincent touched his shoulder. Then he heard it. Helicopters. Two. Closing in. Fast.   
  
"Cid?"   
  
"What´s the matter?" He said, as he continued to check the systems.   
  
"Do you know what those helicopters might want here?" Vincent asked.   
  
"What helicopters? What the hell are you talking about?"   
  
Vincent pointed to where the helicopters were. Cid just squinted, and muttered something.   
  
"Who the hell could be? "  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this." Cloud said.   
  
"Damn! We better prepare. You guys grab your weapons, I´ll go get my spear."   
  
"Hurry Cid." Vincent said.   
  
Cid entered the house, trying frantically to remember were the hell he put that goddamn thing. Outside, Vincent signaled Cloud to take cover in the trees near to the house, as he hid behind a corner. The sound of the helicopters rotors was growing with each second. Cloud checked the materia he had put on the Murasame, cursing himself for not bringing the Master materias. He only had a Fire and Bolt materias, along with a purple one he couldn´t remember what the hell it was.   
  
The helicopters landed, and from them emerged many men dressed in black. Vincent counted thirty of them, all well armed. One of them was yelling orders, signaling the house. Vincent deduced he was the leader. He waited until almost half of them had entered the house, then , he quickly emerged from around the corner he was hiding, and shot the leader. He fell to the ground almost instantly, and the others began to shoot to where Vincent was standing. He began to run, shooting against them; suddenly, a thunderbolt hit their attackers, sending many of them flying. A blast of fire engulfed the ones who remained, as Vincent managed to shot down two more.   
  
Jacob didn´t know what the hell had hit him. He silently thanked the heavens for bulletproof vests, and stood up. He saw how Vincent was shooting against his men, as he ran towards the plane to take cover. He saw how his men were hit by another thunderbolt. He began to search around him to see who was casting the spells. A gleam of light in the trees to his right made him aware of the position of their attacker. He yelled orders to his men, who ran towards the trees.   
  
Cid was still inside the house, yelling curses as he searched for his weapon. He heard Shera scream, quickly running to where she was. He found himself coughing, a dense cloud filling the house. He managed to see a man in black hitting Shera unconscious. Enraged, he tried to attack him, but suddenly, a punch in the back of his head sent him to the floor. The soldiers then grabbed him by the arms and took him outside the house. Cloud was in a branch above the group who searched for him. He swallowed hard, and waited until one of them was just right under him. He tightened the grip on his sword, and jumped. The soldier looked in surprise to his chest, as the tip of the sword emerged from it. He let out a drowning sound before collapsing to the floor with a loud thud. His friends turned around, and began to shoot against Cloud. He quickly took cover behind some bushes. The pain in his right arm made him aware he had been shot. A quick look to his arm, and he saw the dart. He took it out, and then it struck him. They were here not to kill them, but to capture them! But why? And who? The yell of one of the soldiers brought him back from his thoughts. He quickly got up and slashed the soldier in the throat. The two remaining quickly discharged their weapons to where Cloud was standing. Cloud hid behind a tree, concentrated, and as a fire column engulfed both soldiers, he quickly slashed one across the chest, a kick in his stomach revealing him the soldier had armor under his uniform. He quickly got up and with a thunderbolt finished the battle. He rested against a tree, trying to regain his breath, then he got up and quickly ran to see how the others were doing.   
  
Vincent was getting tired of this. Every time he tried to lift his head and shoot, their attackers shot. He couldn´t aim well that way, and the soldiers were starting to circle him. Then, suddenly, one soldier took out a different weapon and fired against Vincent. He was so busy trying not to get shot, he couldn´t avoid the net. He struggled to free himself. The soldiers got closer to grab him, when a roar made them stop in their tracks. A claw slashed through the net, and the soldiers saw how a beast emerged from it. It let out a roar, then it attacked the soldiers. After a couple of seconds, the only thing standing was the beast. Vincent then calmed, and regained his human form, breathing heavily, as he saw how the remaining soldiers were taking Cid out of the house. He started to shoot against them, and they responded to the fire, when a thunderbolt hit them. Cloud got out of the forest, as another thunderbolt impacted against the soldiers. The ones carrying Cid let him in the floor as they began to fire against Cloud. He covered behind some old boxes Cid kept in his yard, and with the last of his strength, casted a fire spell that engulfed the soldiers. The remaining ones, seeing how their numbers had decreased, started to run towards the helicopters.   
  
This operation had been a disaster, but Jacob quickly saw the way of not going with the hands empty. He spotted Cid laying in the floor, and began to take him to the helicopter, when he felt a sudden pain in his chest. He looked down, and saw the blade of the Venus Gospel through his chest, before collapsing to the ground. Behind him was Shera, a furious look on her face. As the helicopters took away, Vincent and Cloud ran to check on Cid. Around them, the air was filled with the odor of blood and burned skin, the sirens of Rocket Town´s police getting closer. As Cid regained his conscience, he took a quick glance around him, a single word resuming everyone´s thoughts.   
  
"Damn!"  
  
  
  
"Your report, lieutenant."   
  
"The situations is bad, sir. We lost 17 men, including Captain Marley. They would have killed us, if we didn´t retreat. And we couldn´t capture any of the targets, sir."   
  
"So, you´re telling me you failed."   
  
"Sir, the situation got out of control. Next time..."   
  
"There won´t be a next time."   
  
A hand reached for a button on the desk, pressing it. At that moment, in the other side of the world, the two helicopters exploded, killing all who were inside of them. General Powers just arranged his tie, as he turned to face his visitor.   
  
"Sorry for that little interruption, professor. I had to take care of that little matter."   
  
"I understand, General. It´s hard to find good help these days." Hojo said, laughing of his own joke.   
  
"So, I understand you can not only provide me with the Jenova cells I need, but also will give me a 'bonus', for calling it that way. What could this 'bonus´ be?" The General said, as he lit a cigar. The ashtray in front of him showing he had been in his office for hours.   
  
"The best soldier ever... Well, the best since you retired, General."   
  
The General inclined towards Hojo.   
  
"You don´t mean..."   
  
"Yes. Sephiroth. In a silver platter. Or, better yet, a silver container."   
  
Hojo laughed again, harder. General Powers just took another puff of his cigar, as he reclined on his chair, and began to think of the possibilities. Soon, very soon, his plans would be complete. He smiled as he reclined on his chair, thinking of the possibilities.   
  


* * *

Finally, the very first battle! I bet you all thought it would took me an eternity to write it. Well, don´t worry. So, what will (hopefully) happen in the next chapter? Even I don´t know, and I´m the one who writes the story! To know it... read the next chapter when I´m done with it. See you later!   


* * *


	5. Chapter 6: The Ancient Factor

## Chapter Six

## The Ancient Factor

by Kal  
  
  
"Holy #$$&%!"  
  
Cid couldn´t be surprised easily. A life as a fighter pilot made him to be prepared to anything life threw in his way. An when he fought Sephiroth in the inside of the Northern Crater, he thought nothing could surprise him anymore.   
  
When he took the mask off the body in front of him, and saw it was Jacob Marley, the very same man who days before had offered him funds to build his rocket, he had to admit that life could still surprise him.   
  
"Marley!?"   
  
Cloud, Vincent and Cid said his name at the same time. They looked at each other puzzled, and by the time Rocket Town´s police arrived to Cid´s house, they all knew everything about Jacob and his offers to each of them.   
  
Three patrols parked in front of Cid´s house. A fat, bald man, dressed in a cheap suit got out of one of them. The tired look in his eyes showed he had been working too much, the coffee mug he was drinking from, trying not to burn himself as he did, hinted he hadn´t slept recently, the uncared mustache completing the picture. The officers got out of the patrols and began to look around Cid´s backyard.   
  
"Highwind! What happened here!?"   
  
"Good day, Sipowicz."   
  
"There´s nothing good in this day so far, Highwind! And what is this!? We received calls from around here that all hell was breaking loose in your backyard, and some people said they even saw helicopters around here. So I want answers and I want them now!"   
  
"Officer..." Vincent began to talk.   
  
"DETECTIVE Sipowicz! And who are you? Was I talking to you, halloween boy!? Shut up, or I´ll see you all end up in a cell for public disorder!"   
  
"Detective, I´m sure that if you allow us to talk, we´ll explain everything to you." Cloud said, in a conciling voice.   
  
"Well, then start talking."   
  
A uncomfortable silence came from Cid, Shera, Cloud and Vincent. Where to start? What to say? 17 men, all in full combat outfit layed death in Cid´s backyard. They were there to capture them, but they didn´t know why. Jacob Marley, the one who obviously was in charge, had presented them all with job offers. That was all they knew. None of them knew what to say, until Shera broke the silence.   
  
"Detective, the truth is, we don´t know who those men are. We know as little as you. They attacked us, and we had to defend ourselves. Some of them got away, but we didn´t saw which direction they took. That´s all the story."   
  
"It´s that true?" Sipowicz said looking at Cid, Cloud and Vincent.   
  
They nodded in silence. Sipowicz looked like he knew Shera´s story was a goddamn lie, but he was smart enough to know he couldn´t get more info from them.   
  
"All right you all, listen to me! I know you´re hiding something, and God help you if I find out what it is, because I´ll charge you all with obstruction of justice, and throw you in a cell, do you understand!?"   
  
He signaled the officers to go back to the patrols. One of them was already calling for ambulances to traslade the corpses. Cid, Shera, Vincent and Cloud entered the house. Shera began to prepare some tea, as the others sat at the kitchen´s table.   
  
"Shera, I didn´t knew you could lie so well" Cid said proudly.   
  
"You know well that if I had said we all know Jacob, he would have taken all of us to the station and would never let us go. I did the best thing, right captain?"   
  
"Hell yeah! Damn Sipowicz would have threw us all in the jammer and swallow the key, along with two double cheese burgers."   
  
"Doy you know him?" Vincent asked.   
  
"He and I know from years back, when I used to run at high speed in my car at the outskirts of the town. He was a patroler back then, and always tried to grab me. Unfortunately for him, I knew the roads better. He started to really hate my guts when I made him fall in a swamp with his patrol car."   
  
Cid then started to laugh when he remembered that episode of his life. Shera then served all a cup of tea.   
  
"So, what do we do know?" Cloud asked them all.   
  
"I say we stick with our original plan. Go to Junon to see Reeve. And we´ll also investigate Jacob and see if he really was working for them Rexcon guys."   
  
"It works for me. We´ll part this night, after I fix the bullet holes in the Tiny Bronco. And you´ll come with us, Shera."   
  
"What? " Shera said.  
  
"Hell yeah! I don´t want to leave you here alone knowing someone out there has something against me, something big enough to send all those guys after me. So you better start packing! " Cid finished.   
  
"Yes, Captain!"   
  
As Shera went to her room, Vincent looked to Cid. Cid turned to see Vincent giving him a "I knew you would do something like that" smile.   
  
"That´s a very intelligent thing to do Cid. If someone is after you, is logical that they would also be after the ones you care about." Vincent said.   
  
"I don´t care what the hell happens to that woman! I just don´t want to end up rescuing her, damn! I have enough troubles already. And I would have to pay a maid to do what she does for free."   
  
"Right..." Cloud said as he drank his tea. Why Cid couldn´t admit he loved Shera? It was so obvious. In the other hand, he and Tifa...   
  
"Holy god!" Cloud said as he got up with a jump.   
  
"What the hell happens to you, kid? You seem like you remembered you forgot to close your house before coming here."   
  
"I need a phone!"   
  
  
The day had started well. As always, Tifa entered the bar, and started to get it ready to open. It was a tough job, and she had placed an ad for help. She hoped someone would come today to apply. Without Cloud, it was harder for her to cook and serve the food. By noon, she was so busy tending the tables, she didn´t noticed a brown haired girl, dressed in a brown sweater and jeans, standing at the bar.   
  
"Hi, welcome. What are you going to order?"   
  
"Hello. My name´s Alysia, and I came to apply for the job."   
  
"Great! As you can see, I need all the help I can get. If you don´t fear to work hard, you have the job. You´ll work Monday to Saturday, from 6 am to 9 pm, but I pay well and you get a lot of tips."   
  
"Thanks! When do I start?"   
  
"Right now!" Tifa said as she hand her a tray with food. Now, finally, everything would be great.   
  
At that moment, five armed men entered the bar. They pointed their guns at all directions. One of them started to yell.   
  
"We are looking for Tifa Lockhart? Where is she?"   
  
"Here I am." Tifa said defiantly from behind the counter.   
  
"You´re coming with us! Now!"   
  
"This is MY bar, sir. You can´t come in here and start barking orders."   
  
As she said that, she grabbed a tray and hurled it to the leader´s head. It impacted in his face, and as he fell, the others began to shoot to where Tifa was. With blinding speed she took cover behind the bar. Bottles broke, spilling their content as they were shattered b the bullets. Then, the four that were still conscious halted firing. One of them bent over the bar to see what was left of Tifa. As he inclined, a hand grabbed him by the neck, and quickly threw him against a nearby table. The last three pointed Tifa with their guns.   
  
"Give it up! We are three and we are armed. You´re one and you don´t have any weapons."   
  
Tifa just smiled.   
  
Thirty seconds later, a flying body went through the big window of Tifa´s bar, shattering it. Tifa just stepped outside, soon enough to see how a man in a car quickly started it and ran away. Tifa entered back into the bar, the customers clapping and cheering. Alysia was in a corner speechless.   
  
"I forgot to tell you another thing. You will never get bored in this work. Now help me to clean it all."   
  
A phone rang in the counter. Tifa grabbed the receiver in her right hand. The leader of the group was lying next to her, and was starting to wake up.   
  
"Hi, "Tifa´s Heaven on Earth". Cloud! How are you? I´m fine too. Aha. Aha. Really? Is everyone OK? Great! Yes, everything here is normal. Thanks for calling me."   
  
The leader was starting to get up, when Tifa stomped his head. He moaned, and then dismayed again.   
  
"What was that?" Cloud asked.   
  
"Nothing, I just squashed a bug. I´ll be cautious, don´t worry."   
  
"...well, be careful. I don´t want you to take any risks, OK? I... I... I love you. Bye."   
  
"I love you too."   
  
Poor Cloud, Tifa thought. Even after all those years, he was still unable to express his feelings. Maybe she should do something to help him when he got back.   
  
"Alright, Alysia, grab a broom, while I call the police to come and pick up this garbage, OK?"   
  
  
"Sir, Beta team failed. Just one man got away. What should we do?"   
  
"Nothing. They failed, they deserve to stay in prison for a while. And, lieutenant, execute the one who ran away, as an example. No one should abandon his teammates, understood?"   
  
"Yes, sir. I´ll carry the order immediately."   
  
General Powers just reclined in his chair. It was though to find good men in these days, altough, considering where he got them, he shouldn´t expect too much. But, finally, he had in his hands the last piece he needed to carry on his plans, with the added bonus of Sephiroth. The professor said that soon he would awaken. He had to make some arrangements to ensure the success of the procedure.   
  
  
Joshua was ecstatic. That night had been his best ever. Three thousand people had assisted, some coming from places as far as Wutai, just to hear him, and his message. The ones who were still skeptical about him gave in, when he cured all those people of their ailments. The best moment was when that blind woman suddenly raised her arms to heaven, yelling she could see again. Truly, it had been his best moment.   
  
He excused with his helpers, saying he was very tired, and wanted to sleep. They abandoned the part of the church that served him as his quarters. When he was sure he was alone, he opened a closet, and took out an object wrapped in cloth. He put it in a table, and took the cloth off as he kneeled before it.   
  
Jenova stared at the nothingness with her yellow eyes, her purple lips opening to speak. Altough she was clearly alien, her face had an strange beauty that made difficult for Joshua to stare at the floor.   
  
"Mother, everything is happening as you told. I await your advice now."   
  
"You have done well, my child. You are truly my son, one who relies more on subterfuge and seduction, more than brute force and power. If your brother had been more like you, we would have conquered this world a long time ago."   
  
"Forget about him, Mother. He is nothing but a memory now. And my power over the masses grows with each day. When we will make use of that power?"   
  
"Soon, my child, soon. He who rushes, runs to his own grave. I will tell you when the time comes. Until then, keep seducing the masses with your powers, and use them to spread our words."   
  
"I will do as you said, Mother."   
  
  
Isaiah was tired. He had been exploring the region for three days and everything he had found was some of those rabbits that club you with a carrot. What he wanted was wolfs. And lots of them. As a hunter, he needed their hides to sell them and get money, so he could buy Inga the ring she wanted, and then they could marry. At this pace, he thought, the hell would freeze before he saved enough money. And to think no one comes near here; all because of some silly superstition. From what he had seen thus far, there was nothing to be afraid of. He was inmersed in his thoughts, when a growl brought him back to the real world.   
  
A pack of six wolves were in front of him. They clearly had smelled the dead rabbits Isaiah was carrying. He suddenly remembered what his grandma always told him "Be careful with what you wish". He suddenly dropped the rabbits and began to run. A couple of wolves began to eat the dead rabits, but the other four chased him. Isaiah ran as fast as he could, until he came to a dead end. He tried to climb, but the ice made it difficult to scale. The wolves then circled him. He knew there was no escape.   
  
"Inga, I love you."   
  
He closed his eyes, and when the wolves were about to attack, a roar made them stop in their tracks. Isaiah opened his eyes, thinking he was delusional. In the cliff above him, a white lion let out another roar. The wolves began to retreat. Then, fire formed from the thin air, burning the wolves. They ran away. Isaiah thought his eyes were cheating on him. At the top of the cliff, were a white lion, and at his side, a blonde haired man, covered in wolves hides. His eyes had an strange glow, like nothing Isaiah had seen before. The scene reminded him of the legends is grandma told him, about a lost race of men with glowing eyes, who were always accompanied by white lions, who lived in those mountains. He had dismissed them as nothing more than old wives tales, but now...   
  
The man smiled to Isaiah, and he waved back as a fool, thinking it was all a dream. They disappeared from above the cliff. Isaiah felt his head heavy, as if something had filled it. He sat for a moment to recover, then ran back to his camp, packed his things, and descended the mountain as fast as he could. When he got back to Icicle Village, he was so tired he dismayed upon entering his house. He slept for three days, and when he woke up and told his story, everybody thought it had been a feverish dream. But he knew it wasn´t a dream. The only thing that prevented him from going up again to investigate, was Inga´s decision of marrying him, ring or no ring. But he promised himself, that, as soon as he could, he would go up to find that man.   
  


* * *

Ahh, the sixth chapter! So, now we get to see Tifa in action! To all you Tifa fans, she will have a more prominent role in coming chapters.   
  
And now we know what happened to Jenova´s head. But how come Jacob has it? We´ll see in coming chapters. When I created Jacob, I thought "what would be the opposite of Jesus Christ?". Jesus did not make miracles to impress people, but to help the ones who needed it. And he always tried to make his message more important than the miracles themselves. If it wasn´t necessary, he tried to avoid doing miracles in very public places. On the other hand, Joshua does his miracles in front of lot of people, to impress, and as a way to proof his message is real. And unlike Jesus, he wants power over the masses. We will see how he uses this power to cause problems to our heroes.   
  
"What about Marlene?... I mean, Barret?" We´ll see them in the next chapter, and try to explain why everybody leads fairly normal lives, when they actually saved the world. Let´s say not everybody sees them as heroes, but frauds. I better stop before spoiling next chapter to you all.   
  


* * *


	6. Chapter 7: Readying the armies

## Chapter Seven

## Readying the armies

By Kal   
  
  
"So, Captain Starford, have you got all you need?"   
  
"Yes, sir. We just have to find a couple more members, but soon the group will be complete."   
  
General Powers was in his office, talking with a young man. He had short black hair, and he was tall. His slimness hide the power his blue Mako eyes, hided behind black glasses, hinted at. Dressed in blue sweat pants and an equally blue shirt tucked inside them; the only thing that hinted him as a soldier were the metallic chest plate he used and the long double edged sword he carried in his belt sheat.   
  
"Great. I have complete confidence in your abilities. It´s a shame President Shinra didn´t share it."   
  
"Well sir, I must excuse myself. I have to arrange some details before the team is ready to go."   
  
"I understand. You´re dismissed."   
  
The man left, and as soon as the door closed, the General picked up the phone.   
  
"Tell Professor Hojo I´ll be in his lab in twenty minutes."   
  
  
At Junon   
  
13:00 hrs.   
  
Cid had forgotten how hot was that damn city in the day. Being constructed principally of metal, it was a real pain to walk through the streets in the afternoon. But luckily, Reeve had arranged that a limo picked them at the airport. Cloud was trying to figure out what button did what, and Vincent stared through the window at the endless sea. Shera was drinking a soda from the limo´s minibar.   
  
As they parked in front of Reeve´s company, Cloud´s eyes widened. Reeve, the former head of urban Development, now had a company that looked as wealthy as the Shinra. He hoped that, unlike President Shinra and his son Rufus, he didn´t let that kind of power corrupt him.   
  
  
Reeve was tired of talking with mayor Juliani. Altough he knew that, given his company was the most important in the city, he would have to deal with the politicians, he prefered to use that time to run his company. He just nodded as the mayor told him another of its speeches.   
  
"...and as you know, thanks to my government, the poor have become part of our society thanks to the social programs your company and many others fund..."   
  
Reeve´s phone rang. He secretly wished it was to say a giant moster was attacking the city. Again.   
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Juliani. Yes, Janine?"   
  
"Sir, your guests have arrived."   
  
"Thanks, Janine. Mr. Juliani, I´m afraid I must end our talk, but I´m sure that if you arrange a meeting between my people and yours, we both will find a way to help us each other." he said, as he accompanied the mayor to the door. Outside it were Cloud, Vincent, Cid and Shera.   
  
"Hello guys! Long time no see you. How all have you been?"   
  
"Hi Reeve. It´s great to see you again." Cloud said.   
  
"Hello, Reeve." Vincent said, dryly.   
  
"Damn! Why the hell did you make your whole building a "no smoking" area?" Cid reclaimed him.   
  
"Cid! Reeve is our friend. At least say hi to him!" Shera said, as Cid muttered a "Hi."   
  
Reeve invited them to his office. There they told him of what had happened in the last days.   
  
"So Reeve, since many people from Shinra came to work with you, is it possible one of them had something to do with Hojo´s research?" Cloud asked. Vincent felt uneasy when he heard Hojo´s name.   
  
"Well, one of our scientists, Dr. Rotschild has been conducting research regarding the few papers Hojo left at Shinra. We suspect some of them were stolen before we could get there."   
  
"By who?" Cid asked.   
  
"Scientists, scavengers, employees taking everything they could... who knows?"  
  
"Then, let´s go see him." Cloud suggested.   
  
Reeve made a brief phone call, and then he conducted the others to his private elvator. After a couple of minutes of going down, the elevator halted. A bald man with glasses and a lab coat was walking in circles, obviously impacient. He almost ran to them when he saw them.   
  
"President Reeve, are those the subjects? The blond one obviously is a SOLDIER, I can tell by the eyes. An the quiet gentleman is also gave away by his red eyes too. But the blond one with the spear... he is obviously one of Hojo´s experiments, I can tell from a mile away."   
  
Cloud, Reeve and Shera had to reprise the laughs when Cid began to curse against Dr. Rotshcild for calling him an "experiment". Vincent just smiled.   
  
"Dr. Rotschild, I can assure you that Mr. Highwind, as far as I know, has nothing to do with Hojo´s experiments." Reeve said among laughs.   
  
"Well, my mistake. But you two, come with me, let´s start the tests. Until now I had nothing but Hojo´s writings to aid me in my research of the Jenova cells." he said, as he guided them to his lab.   
  
"What´s your interest in Jenova cells?" Vincent asked. One Hojo had been enough for the world.   
  
"It´s purely theorical, I assure you. I don´t have any interest in experimenting with them, even if I had samples to work with."   
  
As they came to a door, Dr. Rotschild let Vincent and Cloud get in. Reeve and the others waited outside, until, two hours later, Cloud and Vincent came out of the lab. Rotschild was obviously excited, reading and writing in the many pages he carried with him.   
  
"Well, Doctor, any good news?" Cid asked, impatient.   
  
"This is incredible! I never dreamt of something like this!"   
  
"Please, explain to us all. In simple words." Reeve asked him.   
  
Rotschild stared at Cloud and Vincent.   
  
"I don´t know if you want to share the results..."   
  
"Tell us all. We are a team. We can handle everything." Cloud said.   
  
"Well, first, I made tests to determine how many Jenova cells your bodies had in them. It seems that both of you have unexpectedly high levels of them."   
  
"What do you mean?" Vincent asked.   
  
"In normal SOLDIERS, they had a radius of 1000 Jenova cells for each million of normal cells. The man named Cloud seems to have a radio of 30 Jenova cells for 1000 of his. The man named Vincent has the highest radio ever recorded: 46/1000!"   
  
"Is that bad?" Shera asked.  
  
"A normal human can handle a low level of Jenova cells for an undetermined time, thanks to Mako. The Jenova cells sustain in the Mako. You two have also high levels of Mako." Rotschild said.   
  
"But, is that bad?" Reeve repeated the question.   
  
"From a practical point of view, no. More Jenova cells and Mako means more power. I guess you two enjoy an abnormal level of strength; and it also allows you to heal very quickly and resist more magic attacks. And the changes Mr. Valentine described are also a result of his high level of Jenova cells. As you know, the Jenova cells allow a person the power to change its physical appearance."   
  
"I remember, when we were chasing Sephiroth, it resulted we were chasing one of his clones who used that power to look like him." Cloud added.   
  
"Exactly! As I have gathered from Hojo´s notes, those individuals had a large amount of Jenova cells in them. They could pass for anyone thanks to the morphing powers that accompanied them. The power was so strong, they could also alter their clothes to look like they wanted them to."   
  
"So, it´s because of the cells, I change into those monsters?" Vincent asked.   
  
"Yes. And a detail you may have missed. When you told me how Hojo changed you... When you locked yourself in that basement, how were you dressed?" Rotschild asked Vincent.   
  
"In a blue suit, like the Turks use. But I don´t see..."   
  
"Ah, but there´s an important point to my question! You also told me that, when you were found, you were clad in this red and black suit."   
  
"Yes..." Vincent didn´t know where this questions lead to.   
  
"Did you put it on yourself?"   
  
"I always thought Hojo had put it on me somehow..."   
  
"Was your Turks suit made of cotton; right?"   
  
"Yes..." Vincent wa beginning to think this was pointless.   
  
"And your claw? Did Hojo did that too?"   
  
"I don´t remember it..." Vincent said, confused.   
  
"Let me do a little demonstration. Miss, could you come here, and touch his claw?"   
  
"It´s all right Shera." Vincent said.   
  
Shera walked to Vincent. She was hesitant to touch his claw, but when she did, her eyes opened with surprise.   
  
"It´s warm!" she almost screamed.   
  
"Yes. At first, I thought it was artificial, but after some tests, I found the truth. It´s not a claw, it´s his arm." He said triumphant.   
  
"What does this mean?" Reeve asked in shock.   
  
"The high level of Jenova cells allowed this gentleman to change his appearance. The Jenova cells can alter the appereance of anything organical: bones, hair, and even organic materials like this man´s clothes. A true case of the body matching the mind."   
  
"Do you mean, Vincent wishes to look like that?" Cid said, bewildered.   
  
"Maybe not consciounsly. Maybe it´s your mind´s way of reminding you what happened when Hojo changed you." Rotschild ventured.   
  
"Can Vincent look different if he wishes?" Cloud asked.   
  
"It seems so. You all have seen him changing into the beasts under high stress situations. But it seems everytime he does, it´s out of his control. I don´t know how could you control that power, but it´s not out of the question that someday you could regain your normal appeareance."   
  
Vincent thought about this news, as he stared at his claw. Did he really wanted to look like that? Was his conscience way of reminding him of his sins?   
  
"But, what about the weakness we have experienced recently?" Vincent asked.   
  
"As I have collected from the few notess Hojo made regarding his experiments, it seems he used two different proccesses with you two. He described in his notes that, regarding Mr. Strife, or "Proyect C" as he called him, he tried to find a way to make even more powerful SOLDIERS. That´s the reason you have such high levels of Mako and Jenova cells in you."   
  
"What about me?" Vincent asked.   
  
"There are a few notes here and there regarding a "proto-experiment V". It seems you were the first adult person he injected with both the Mako and the Jenova cells. As I have read his notes concerning the experiments he made in the Nibel reactor, he had found that too many Jenova cells transformed the subjects into monsters. It seems he wanted to see what would happen if he used less Jenova cells in an effort to discover what transformed these people. It seems he found that too many Jenova cells transformed the individuals. An army of monsters would had been useless for the Shinra. Years later, the process was refined to make the SOLDIERs."   
  
"So, you say too many Jenova cells are bad?" Cloud asked.   
  
"Unfortunately, yes. The cells need high amounts of energy to survive, that´s why the SOLDIERs were infused with Mako. In both your cases, the Mako level is decreasing because there are just too many Jenova cells in your bodies. To make it short, they´re devouring your normal cells to sustain themselves. As a result, you both will become older, as there will be no new cells for your bodies to sustain on. I´m sorry."   
  
"Wait a damn minute! You say they will become older with each passing day? Then why Vincent still looks young?" Cid asked.   
  
"It seems that, even in such weak state, the Jenova cells can sustain that illusion of youth. Very simple, if you compare it to the transformations in such monsters. But, as they grow weaker, your appeareance will grow more according to your real age..."   
  
"How many time do we have left?" Cloud asked.   
  
"Well, I have good, and bad news regarding it. The good news is, that with Mako-based treatments, you will be able to live longer. But it would be like throwing gasoline into the ashes. It still burns bright, but..."   
  
"When the gasoline is burnt completely, the fire also ceases. Unless you add more gasoline." Vincent ended.   
  
"Yes. But eventually, more and more gasoline is needed. It´s a one side equation. Eventually, you would still die."   
  
"How much could we still live with those treatments?" Cloud asked again.   
  
"Around 10 to 20 years. It seems a lot, but that would mean the most you could live would be enough to celebrate your fortieth birthday." Rotschild concluded.   
  
Suddenly, Cloud felt the need to seat. 20 years at most. It sounded a lot, but to him, it was almost his whole life. How could he tell this to Tifa? Vincent just remained silent.   
  
"We could start right away. I have a small research reactor at my lab."   
  
"Just... Give me a minute, Doctor..." Cloud said, his face buried in his hands.   
  
"Of course."   
  
  
Barret was furious. He readed the note again, then he called Marlene to come.   
  
"Yes, daddy?"   
  
"Marlene, your teacher says ya argued in front of da class with her ´bout a theme you were studyin´. What was that theme?" Barret asked.   
  
"She told us about those big battles called wars. I told her my daddy had been in one. She said "Really? Tell us." and then I began to tell everybody the stories you tell me before going to sleep. Everybody began to laugh, and she told me "You shouldn´t say those lies, miss Wallace." Then I told her those weren´t lies, and I told her that word you said when the toaster wouldn´t work, and then..."   
  
"Enough! Marlene, daddy will go talk with dat woman who doesn´t know what she´s talking ´bout!" he said, banging his fist in a nearby table.   
  
"She told me to say to you to go see her after class is over."   
  
"I´ll be there!" Barret ended.   
  
  
The man was sitting quietly in a clear in the Ancient Forest. Covered in wolf hides, his bare skin painted with ritual paints, and with a human skull in his face as a mask, he clearly was waiting for something.   
  
A helicopter descended in the clear, not far from him. The man opened his eyes in time to see the pilot walking over to him. The pilot talked him about the civilization his ancestors had told him about, how he would be rewarded if he came with him. He just stared at the man.   
  
Then the pilot showed him a photo of his dreaded enemies and offered him a chance of revenge against the N´chaka, The Ones who Talked, as the visions had told him. The man grabbed his spear, adorned with bones and feathers, and followed the man to the helicopter. Once, his people had been almost exterminated. It was time to get what was rightfully his.   
  
  
The General saw Hojo go through his notes, as the scientists he had hired ran from one place to another, checking lectures in machines. Hojo was ecstatic. Soon, his greatest achievement would live again.   
  
"Professor, how much time will be until he comes back?" Powers asked, as he lit up a cigar.   
  
"Anytime now. And I trust my new specimen is on its way here." Hojo said.   
  
"It´s in its way. It was the biggest they could capture, trust me. And I hope you can assure me the experiment will be a complete success."   
  
"Don´t worry. The DNA sample is one I got before he took Wutai and was named Great General by President Shinra."   
  
Then a scientist got close to Hojo and showed him some papers. Hojo readed them, excited.   
  
"Yes! Prepare, everyone! Decrease the Mako in a 97%, and make sure the pulsations are over 70 at every moment." Hojo said, as he ran to where the silver container was. Connected to various machines and tubes, the light on it suddenly went from red to green. Hojo smiled as he saw a hand opening the lid. The General approached to salute his old friend.   
  
"Colonel Sephiroth, is a pleasure to welcome you back."   
  
Sephiroth´s eyes took a moment to accustom again to light. He saw Powers and Hojo, standing in front of him, before dismaying.   
  


* * *

The Seventh chapter, and so much goodness! The return of Sephiroth, explanations on Vincent´s past and a couple new threats in the horizon. Can you wait for the next chapter?   
  
-Explanation on the DNA thing: Some researches point that memory is stored in DNA. Since it would be illogical that anyone wanted a mad Sephiroth, they would have to use DNA prior to Sephiroth´s trip to Nibelheim.   
  
-Who is "Captain Starford"? And the man in wolf hides? Are you ready for "The Unknow Soldiers"?   


* * *


End file.
